Operating mechanism for dump cars



1924 2 Sheets-Shea. l

D. HINDA HL OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DUMP CARS Filed June 5.

Nov. 2 1926.

1,605,347 D. HINDAHL Filed June 5, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2OPERATINGMECHANISM FOR DUMP CARS H w mnllll I! Nov. 2 1926.

Patented Nov. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES DAVID HINDAHL, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL DUMP GAB COM- PANY, or oHIcAGo, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION or MAINE.

OZPERATING MECHANISM FOR DUMP CARS.

Application filed June '5,

relates to means for controlling the dumpdoors of railway dump cars.

In certain common types of dump cars the i dump doors are designed toopen suddenly upon the releasing of certain mechanism. -In certain wellknown types of car said releasing mechanism includes flexible connectorswhich under certain conditions hang in loops below the car body.-Difiiculty has been encountered in the past due to the fact that saidhanging flexible connectors are likely to get out of cooperativerelationship with the other parts of the releasing mechanism, requiringpersonal attention on the part of the operators of the car.

An object of the present invention is to provide operating mechanism forthe doors of railway dum cars, which mechanism will have a minimum oflikelihood to get out of order.

A further object is to provide railway dumping mechanism of the typeemploying flexible connectors, which mechanism will effectually preventsaid flexible connectors from swinging out of operative positions.

Further objects will appear as the description roceeds.

Re erring to the drawings-- Figure 1 is a sectional view takentransversely of a dump car of the center dumps yp Figure 2 is a viewtaken in the direction indicated by the arrows 2-2 of Figurel; and

Figures 3 and 4 are fragmentary views illustrating in top plan and sideelevation, respectively, certain parts of operating mechanism embodyingthe principles of the present invention.

The numerals 10-10 indicate the sides of the car, while the numerals11-11 indicate the center sills of said car. Mounted transversely of thecar is the operating shaft 12 which carries two chains 13 and 14 foroperating the hopper doors 15 and 16, which are pivoted along thelongitudinal axes 17 and 18, respectively said doors being shown inclosed position in Figure 1. v

Pivotall connected to the doors 16 by means of t e pivot pin 16 locatedin an axis 13 is connected to the shaft 12 at the 1924. Serial No.717,9sa

distant from the pivotal axis 18 isthe link 19, which may take theangular form shown in the drawing for a purpose to be referred tohereinafter. Pivotally connected to the door 15 on the shaft 20, locatedon an axis distant from the pivotal axis 17 is the crank 21, which crankis pivotally connected to the link 19 by means'ot' the pivot pin 22.

Said crank 21 ma consist of three'parallel plates 23 24 an 25, bestillustrated in Figure 3. The link 19 may be-connected to the pivot pin22 between the plates 23 and 24.

Mounted upon the shaft 20- is the link 26,

said link being adapted to have rotative movement relative to the shaft20. Said link 26 is sufiiciently elongated to underlie the pivot pin 22and is provided at its outer end with an eye for receivin the chain 13.The link 26 may be provide with the boss 26' lying between and abuttingagainst the plates 24 and 25. By reason of the engagement of the boss26' with the plates 24 and 25, the outer end of the link 26 will besecured against swinging or creeping movement longitudinally of the car.By reason of this construction, therefore, the chain 13 even whenhanging loose will not tend to get out of cooperative relationship withthe pivot pin 22. The other end of the chain oint 27. It will be clearthat when the cham 13 is wound up u on the shaft 12, it will raise thelink 26 to lift the pivot pin 22 for a purpose to be referred tohereinafter.

Connected to the crank21 at a point adjacent to the shaft 20 is the link28, WhlCh.

constitutes part of the chain 14. In part of its travel the chain 14raises the shaft 20, and for this reason said shaft 20 may be providedwith a flanged sheave portion 29 for engaging the chain 14. The link 19is provided with a sheave 30, which sheave engages the chain 14. A guardplate-31 may be provided to keep the chain 14 in operative relationshipwith the sheave 30. The other endlof the chain 14 may be secured to theshaft 12 at the point 32.

The parts are so designed that when the dump doors 15 and 16 are inclosed positioni :the chain 14'will have a greater number ofconvolutions upon the shaft 1-2 than has the chain; 13. According to theillustrated embodiment of the present invention, the chain 13 has twocon'volutions upon the shaft 12, while the chain 14 has fourconvolutions u on said shaft. In the position referred to, t at is, withthe doors closed, the link 19 will rest upon the crank 21 and the pivotpin 22 which pivotally connects the link 19 and crank 21 will lie in aposition pas t dead center, whereby stresses-applied to t e doors l5 and16 to urge same to open po 'tidn Wlll react upon link 19 and crank 2with a toggle action to force pivot pins 16 and 20 toward one another,whereby to hold said doors 15 and 16 in closed position.

When the pivot pin 22 is raised past dead center with reference to.thepivot pins 20 and 16, the doors 15 and 16 will fly open, resulting inthe practically instantaneous dumping of the car.

With the doors in closed position, as indicated in Figure 1, releasingmay be ac- 4 complish'ed by turning the shaft 12 in the directionindicated by the arrow in Figure 1. Such motion will result in theunwrapping f the chains 13 and 14 from the shaft 12. fter the chain 13has been completely unwrapped from the shaft 12, a further revolution ofshaft 12 in the direction indicated by the arrow will cause the chain 13to again wrap itself upon shaft 12, but in the reverse direction fromthat indicated in the drawing.

The wrapping up of chain 13 on. the shaft 12 will raise link 26 to aposition in which said link 26 will lift the pivot pin 22 to a positionpast dead center. At this time the chain 14: will have becomepractically unwrapped from theshaft 12. The raising of pivot pin 22above its dead center will cause the doors 15 and 16 to fly open,resulting in the instantaneous dumping of the car, whereby the releasingmechanism will assume the positions indicated in broken lines in Figure.1. V A more complete description of the winding operation is notnecessary in the present application, reference for this urpose'beingmade to thepatent to Nelkil 'li No. 1,497,- 931, which also describesmeans for ensuring safety to the operator in case the chains 13 and 14should not be properly proportioned.

The link 26 will,'for all practical purposes, hold its position in adirection longitudinally of "the car, so that when the shaft 12 15 againrotated to wind up the chains 13 and 14 to the positions shown inFigures 1 and 2, the chain will always be incooperative relationshipwith the pivot pin 22, whereby difficulties due to the swaying of thechains will be minimized.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been chosenfor illustration, it is clear that many modifications will occur tothose skilled in the art,

, appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Dump car construction comprising dump doors, trip mechanism includinga pivotally mounted lever for holding said doors closed or for causingthe sudden release of said doors, under load, a flexible connector foroperating said trip mechanism, and a relatively rigid member heldagainst movement longitudinally of said car for holding said chain inoperative relationship with said trip mechanism, said rigid member beingpivotally mounted upon the pivotal connection of said lever.

2. Dump car construction comprising dump doors, trip mechanism includinga pivotally mounted lever for holding said doors in closed position andfor causin the sudden release of said doors under load, means for movingsaid trip mechanism for door releasing functions consisting of a shaft,a flexible connector connected to be operated by said shaft, and amember held against movement longitudinally of said car for operatingsaid mechanism, said flexible connector bemg connected to said lastmentioned member, said member being pivotally inounted upon thepivotal'connection of said ever.

3. A dump car comprising a' pair of dump doors adapted to controldumping between the tracks upon which said car is mounted, meansoperating with a toggle action to hold said doors in closed positionunder the influence of weight operative upon said doors, said meanscomprising levers pivotally secured to said doors and to each other andan operating member for controlling the relative positions of thepivotal connections of said levers, said operating member includin arigid member and a flexible chain, said rigid member being pivotallymounted upon the pivotal connection of one of said levers and havingcooperative relationship with the pivotal connection between saidlevers.

4. A dump car comprising a pair of dump doors-adapted to control dumpingbetween the tracks upon which said car is mounted, means operating witha toggle action to hold said doors in closed position under theinfluence of weight operative upon said doors, said means comprisinglevers pivotally secured to said doors and to each other and anoperating member for controlling the relative positions of the pivotalconnections of said levers, said operating member including a rigidmember and a flexible chain, said rigid member being pivotully mountedupon the pivotal connection of one of said levers and having cooperativerelationship with the pivotal connection between said levers, said rigidmember being provided with means for preventing movement of itsswingingend out of cooperative relationship with said levers.

5. A railway dump car comprising dump doors for controlling dumpingbetween the tracks upon 'which said car. is mounted, means for holdingsaid doors closed, said means comprising toggle levers, said leversbeing pivotally connected to said doors-and to one another, meansi'orcontrollingthe toggle action of said levers, said means comprising arigid member pivoted to one of said doors at the point of pivotalconnection of one of said levers and having a portion for controllingthe relative positions of the connections of said levers to said doorsand to one another, and a flexible member for eontrolling the positionof said rigid member.

and for connecting one of said levers to each of said doors, a rigidmember pivotally mounted upon one of said pivotal means, means forpreventing swinging movement of said rigid member except about the axisof its corresponding pivotal means, said rigid member having a portioncooperatingv with the pivotal connection between said levers, and aflexible member for controlling the position of said rigid member."

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 2nd day of June, 1924.

DAVID HINDAHL.

